Winging It
by Extika
Summary: A couple years after Pitch has been defeated, a new problem arises, beginning when a girl claiming to be a Guardian Angel free-falls and lands in Burgess.


**Disclaimer: Rise of the Guardians doesn't belong to me.**

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No one knew when Guardian Angels first came into existence, thought it must've been a time before the Guardians of Childhood appeared, as none of them could remember a time when there weren't winged beings hovering over the shoulders of young ones. Their objective, much like the Guardians, was simply to protect the children of the world, though under different circumstances.

The Angels carried out the Wills of a supernatural Above, sending messages to, guiding, or even just watching over "their" children. No one really knew who had created them, just that they had their roots in various religions. To the Christians, they carried out their God's will from the beginning of time; two angels, one on either side, safeguarded Muslims; the Arda Fravaš guided the Zoroastrians throughout life; the Malachim served as messengers and protectors; Hindus had spirit guides called atman; and Buddhists receive messages of enlightenment. Of course, to call all of these Guardians the same entity would be like calling the Earth a star.

Each Angel was sent to watch over an individual child in particular, to accompany them until they grew into adults, and each was dispatched by a loved one who had already passed on. Often times, the Guardian Angel was the deceased themselves, a spirit willing to wait a lifetime before moving on for the sake of their children or even grandchildren.

Each and every one of them accompanied their particular child as they aged, gently encouraging them through good works and protecting them from darkness. Only the child him or herself could see their Guardian Angel, who would disappear the moment the child no longer needed them…or believed in them.

In the past, these Guardians, winged or bare, were sparsely dispersed. These days, though, it wasn't all that uncommon to spot the encompassing silhouette of wings or an unseen being hovering lightly over the shoulder of children and adolescents alike.

That was, of course, if others could even see them.

Few, even those who believed in such Guardians, ever actually saw the Angels at work, unless they had the Sight. And the Guardians of Childhood hardly mingled with the Angels either, preferring to stick to their respective work. After all, they had no reason to interfere in one another's duties. And such behavior had stuck for thousands of years.

But that would soon change, for three beings, each constantly searching for change, would finally meet and forever change the bonds between the Guardians from Above and the Guardians of Childhood.

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Jack Frost was just minding his own business, icing the streets and lights of Burgess with delicate icicles, and had just finished an all-out snowball war with Jamie and the other children not ten minutes ago. So, he'd decided to take a walk around the town, which may have sounded nice, but really wasn't when nearly everyone still walked through him.

That was the problem with being Jack Frost. Even though he was officially a Guardian, others still didn't see him like they did Santa Clause or the others. Speaking of whom…

Christmas was just a couple of weeks away, so he couldn't visit North, who was probably busier than ever. And messing with the Easter Kangaroo was out of the picture because said spirit was sick, and no one wanted to mess with a sick Bunny. The Tooth Fairy was preoccupied with collecting teeth where it was still night, and the Sandman was most likely accompanying her. He couldn't even bother Pitch, who was still locked up in his nightmarish abode.

Jack really wasn't expecting anything interesting to happen for a while. So when he spotted a lithe figure falling from the midafternoon sky, he had no idea what to make of it.

His first thought turned to a contraption Jamie had told him about – an 'airplane'. Apparently, humans would leap out of these things called 'airplanes' and parachute to the ground for fun. While Jack himself was the embodiment of fun and enjoyed freefalling through the sky with the ever-present Winds to catch him, he didn't really see how humans, who had no means of flying, could ever do such a thing so readily.

But there was no plane in sight this time. Just a person steadily plummeting to the earth.

"Now that's not something you see every day," he mused.

And yet, no one but himself seemed to take notice, as the humans continued about their business as usual.

Gripping his crooked staff, Jack took a running start and summoned the Wind, which lifted him weightlessly into the air. Taking flight, he silently glided over the bustling city in the direction of the free-faller. After a moment, he realized he was headed in the direction of the forest and the lake he'd woken up in, _his _lake. Could it be another Guardian, he wondered. But the children were in no evident danger. So who was it?

The wind whipped past him even as he flew through the trees, evading them easily as he knew the area like the back of his hand. A bright light emanated as he neared the lake, and white feathers blew past him. Wait, feathers?

Jack gripped his staff tightly, but held it out before him, readying for any attack that might come his way. But what met his gaze is nothing what he'd expected.

Crouched on the center of the sturdily-frozen pond was a girl with short black hair, two tufts resembling wings extending from what looked like two circular pieces of metal on her head. She wore a shortened navy jacket and tan capris, something a normal person wouldn't wear in winter, but she didn't really look like a normal human to Jack.

It was as the girl stood up that the winter spirit noticed the single miniscule wing floating behind the girl's back, right between the shoulder blades. She dusted herself off and turned around.

"That's the last time I let some random cloud drop me—" The girl froze upon realizing she wasn't alone, and her navy eyes widened into saucers behind thin-framed eyeglasses. She spun on her heels quickly and began muttering to herself. "Darn it! How can you be so stupid, Ange? You just let some human boy see you!"

Jack watched in amusement as the girl paced back and forth, almost oblivious to his gaze. He'd spotted some recognition in her dark eyes, which was strange. He'd never met her in his life. Finally, he decided to let her know he was still there.

"I'm going to be in so much trouble when I get back..."

"Uh, hello?" he spoke up, and the girl suddenly ceased her silent ranting. "Can you see me?"

"Why couldn't I?" she inquired. Then her eyes lit up. "Oh! You're that Guardian, Jacks—Jack Frost, right?"

"The one and only," Jack answered, grinning. "And what about you? If you can fall out of the sky and land in one piece, you can't be entirely human either."

"That's 'cause I'm not," the girl replied. "I'm Angela…" She glanced at the frozen water behind her. "Angela Lake, Guardian Angel, at your service."

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_A/N: This honestly could've been longer, but I want to see how this fares before continuing. Sorry if it's a bit confusing or abrupt - I'm still a novice when it comes to writing. Regrettably, I've only seen Rise of the Guardians once, so I don't have the characterizations down pat (is that the right term?). This_ _will _not _be a Jack/OC pairing and will have little romance in it at all. I know she's just appeared, but what do you think about Angela? Any suggestions?_

_Anyway, please comment and tell me what you think of this idea, and thanks for reading._


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